Mortlake on the Schuylkill

A place for me to discuss recent book acquisitions, my academic and other writing, my reading of fiction and poetry, and my enjoyment of popular culture. About the name: John Dee (1527-1609) kept a considerable library at his home in Mortlake, Surrey on the outskirts of London.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thanks, Gail Simone!

Although there's too much on my plate today to allow for a review of Gail Simone's nice first issue as writer on Wonder Woman, I wanted to comment on a particular panel from the book that made my day.

There's a lot going on in the comic, including the (re)introduction of a key character, but for my money, I found Diana's saying I know exactly who I am immensely satisfying.

I can organically take the next step, a move I think is crucial to how she will be portrayed under my watch — my Diana knows who she is. She’s confident and at ease with herself. That’s not to say that she won’t misstep, but it won’t be out of doubt as to her self-worth or importance.

Simone has certainly delivered on that promise, and this important shift in Diana's characterization contributes to the sense that the book has been positively transformed.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Let's Focus on the Positive

Several comics related surprises this week:

(1) El Cazador, the adventure series about an early modern female pirate that I have rhapsodized about in the past, came out in a nicely produced trade paperback that I picked up at my comic store on Wednesday. Even though I have all of the individual issues in my possession, I bought the book anyway: the good ones that I like I buy in multiple formats.

I was totally unaware that the TPB of this series was even coming out, so talk about pleasant surprises! Best part of it all: the final page of the TPB contains a "To Be Continued" ribbon on it. I am hoping very much that the rest of this story, which was left unpublished due to the bankruptcy of CrossGen, will finally make it into print.

(2) I have been looking for issue #12 of Charles Burns' Black Hole for quite some time, and I finally acquired it.

Yes, I do own the hardcover book published by Pantheon, but I have been collecting the individual issues, too.

(3) Having heard good things about it, I purchased Nick Abadzis' book Laika (First Second Books), which is a graphic novelization of the life of the dog that the Soviets shot into earth orbit as a follow-up to their launch of Sputnik. Man, it is indeed a very fine book that I recommend to one and all.

(4) The best for last: JSA #10 has the Kingdom Come Superman informing our heroes that he has fought side by side with other versions of them.

It's a very nice touch to have Wildcat be the one to say: "Power Woman?"